1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vented trash container with a manifold of air channels for air distribution throughout the entire container. The vented trash container is capable of eliminating vacuum between walls of the container and a plastic liner.
Removal of a liner from a trash container is difficult due to a vacuum condition between walls of the container and the liner. The vacuum condition is created when the liner is placed into the container and filled. Generally, the container has a bottom and at least one side wall; thus, the vacuum condition does not only exist between the liner and the side wall but also between the liner and the bottom. The vacuum condition may cause rupture of the liner when the filled liner is lifted from the container. In addition, due to the vacuum condition, the liner can not be easily placed into the container. It is desired that the vacuum condition in the container is eliminated or prevented.
2. Related Art
In some disclosures, vent apertures or openings are built in a trash can or receptacle. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,778 (Martin, 1974), a trash bag retainer includes a plurality of apertures along the side walls from the open top to the bottom of the retainer. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,760 (Nicoll, Sr. et al., 1990), a trash receptacle has air holes on the bottom, and the holes extend from the outside to the inside of the receptacle. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,755 (McArther, Jr. et al., 1993), a vent stalk is built on the bottom of a trash receptacle, and holes and channels on the vent stalk allow air ingress and egress between outside and inside of the receptacle. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,269,434 and 5,390,818 (Labuda, 1993 and 1995), at least one aperture with a valve is built near the bottom of a receptacle, and the aperture is used to communicate the interior and the exterior of the receptacle. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,717 (LeVasseur, 1995), a vented trash can has air allowing components on the sidewalls near the bottom of the trash can, and the air allowing components are openings which allow air to enter the trash can. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,247 (Boover, 1997), a plurality of apertures is formed on side walls adjacent to the bottom of a wastebasket to facilitate the removal of a trash liner. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,303 (Timm et al., 1998), a waste basket has an arched member forming a cavity at the bottom, and holes located along the apex of the arched member are designed to reduce vacuum. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,927 B1 (Rand, 2001), vent slots or holes are built on sidewalls and the bottom of a container, and the vent slots or holes allow air to circulate between the inside and the outside of the container. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,221 B1 (McGarry, 2002), small holes or apertures are built on the bottom of a trash can for the purpose of abating the creation of suction. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,495 B1 (Frei, 2002), apertures are located proximal to the open top and the bottom of a garbage can. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,151 B1 (Brennan, 2003), a waste receptacle has an opening near the bottom to allow for the ingress of air into the receptacle. In U.S. Pat. No. D490,581 S (Keithly et al., 2004), a vent is attached to the outside surface of a side wall of a trash can, and the vent has openings communicating the interior and the exterior of the trash can. In US Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0188921 A1 (Ball, 2009), the outer and inner surfaces of a container have several vent openings to allow air to enter and exit the container. In US Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0194539 A1 (Williams, 2009), a vent opening with a valve is built at the bottom wall of a trash receptacle. The vent apertures or openings presented in the above-mentioned disclosures have the following disadvantages. (1) The vent apertures or openings destroy a seamless system of a container; thus, smell will be emitted from the container, leakage will be discharged outside the container, and insects will enter the container through the vent apertures or openings. (2) The vent apertures or openings can be easily blocked by a flexible liner. (3) The locally positioned apertures or openings can not eliminate and prevent the vacuum condition throughout an entire container.
In some disclosures, one or more air conduits are built on side walls of a trash can or receptacle. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,379 (Bard, 1981), a plurality of hollow tubes is attached to the interior of side walls, or molded into side walls. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,732 (Bowers et al., 1994), an air conduit is integrally mounted to the sidewall of a garbage can, and openings located on walls of the air conduit communicate the interior of the garbage can and the air conduit. Various air conduits attached on side walls are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,241 (Barnett et al., 1996), U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,063 (Poliquin, 2000), US Pat. Pub. No. 2007/0068947 A1 (Rush, 2007), 2009/0095755 A1 (McCurry, 2009), and 2009/0179034 A1 (Olson, 2009). In some disclosures, an air conduit is extended to the bottom of a container. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,876 B1 (Stastny, 2003), one end of an air conduit is extruded outside of the trash can and tied onto the trash can, and the other end placed on the bottom of the trash can. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,518 B1 (Jones, 2003), a tubular conduit is disposed between walls of a waste receptacle and a liner, one portion of the conduit is positioned on a sidewall and the other portion on the bottom of the waste receptacle, and a plurality of holes is located in the portion on the bottom. In US Pat. Pub. No. 2008/0083756 A1 (Daniels, 2008), a lined waste receptacle has a vertical air conduit on a side wall and a horizontal air conduit on the bottom, and the air conduit on the bottom is connected to a block holder with apertures. The air conduits presented in the above-mentioned disclosures have the following disadvantages. (1) The air conduits can not prevent vacuum in most contacting areas between a liner and walls of a container; in other words, the air conduits can not prevent vacuum in an entire container. (2) The openings, the holes, or the apertures on walls of the air conduits can be easily blocked by a flexible liner.
In some disclosures, for the purpose of eliminating or preventing the vacuum condition in a container, an inner wall and an outer wall are built in the container, the space between the inner wall and the outer wall is used as an air conduit, and openings are built on the walls at locations of the top and the bottom of the container. The double-wall structure is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,571 (Brooks et al., 1999) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,199 B1 (Tidrick, 2008). The double-wall structure has the same disadvantages as the air conduits mentioned in the last paragraph. An additional disadvantage of the double-wall structure is that the complexity of the double-wall structure makes the manufacture of the container more complicated and difficult.
A disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,281 B2 (Joseph, 2004) presents a vacuum release waste receptacle. In the receptacle, a plurality of air baffles is built on the surfaces of side walls and the bottom, projecting inwardly into the interior of the receptacle. Air channels are formed by the air baffles, the side walls or the bottom, and a liner. A disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,906 (Kochelek, 1992) presents a trash container with vertical ribs which are either attached to side walls of the container by adhesive strips or molded into side walls. A disadvantage in these two disclosures is that the intrusive air baffles and ribs will wear and breach a flexible liner. In addition, blockage of the air channels by a flexible liner will occur provided two adjacent air baffles are not close to each other.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,572 (Robbins, III et al., 1987) and U.S. Pat. No. D398,117 (Giba, 1998), air conduits are formed by outward recessed side walls in a container. The air conduits are only located on side walls, and no air conduits are built on the bottom of the container. Therefore, the air conduits can not eliminate or prevent the vacuum condition in the entire container, especially on the bottom of the container. Most importantly, the air conduits are not networked and they are independent to each other. As a result, the air conduits can not distribute air throughout the container provided any of the air conduits is blocked locally.